March 4: Introduction
THE LENT PROJECT
March can be a dreary month. Just as the last weeks of winter trudge by and storms darken the sky, the season of Lent begins. Marked by fasting and discipline, penitence and prayer, the 40 days of Lent often feel like a pervasive spiritual gloominess that settles on our lives until we can celebrate Christ’s glorious resurrection at Easter. Just like the somber rain, however, Lent also brings renewal and healing. From the earliest centuries of Christianity, Lent has been practiced as a season of intense self-examination, repentance and an intimate drawing closer to Christ.
Traditionally spanning 40 days — beginning with Ash Wednesday and culminating with Palm Sunday — Lent follows in the footsteps of other symbolic times of preparation. To prepare for the gift of the law on Mount Sinai, Moses fasted for 40 days and nights. Elijah walked for the same amount of time to encounter God on the mountain. Jesus himself fasted 40 days and nights in the desert before beginning his ministry. In each of these instances, fasting and prayer did not weaken or discourage them, but rather spiritually strengthened and prepared them for the period of life that would come next. Thus Lent is a preparation through reflection, action and renewal, culminating with Holy Week, when we enter into Christ’s sufferings and remember His great sacrifice for the sins of the world.
Lent is not just the practice of the spiritual disciplines of abstinence, but of engagement as well. True, Lent is an opportunity to abstain from certain things for a season (whether it be food, speech or technology) in order to clarify and refocus our lives, but we are also called to a renewed embrace of prayer, meditation, study, fellowship, helping the needy and even expressing our interior journey through the arts. Rather than being viewed exclusively as a season of dower self-denial, Lent encourages us to fully and joyfully enter into the life of Christ.
It is the quiet, reflective, preparatory season of Lent that perfectly meshes with the arts. The meditative nature of the arts solidifies and calls forth a self-examination appropriate for this time. Through a layering of Scripture, devotional texts, works of art, poetry, videos and music, The Lent Project offers a wonderful opportunity for daily reflection and meditation, an occasion for us to pray with our eyes and ears as well as our heart and mind.
For centuries artists have been inspired by the themes of Christ’s crucifixion, passion and resurrection. The Lent Project features works of art and music from the span of church history. Included are classic paintings and some of the oldest Lenten hymns, as well as contemporary music, art and photography from the 21st century. Each day’s entry contains a portion of Scripture, a devotional or piece of poetry, a work of visual art or a short video, as well as a piece of music. Each pairing is a unique, often surprising gift to usher us through the Lenten season.
The Lent Project calendar starts on Ash Wednesday, March 5, and continues through Holy Week and Bright Week, ending on Sunday, April 27. There are 54 days of discovery, each week focusing on a particular theme. Week 1 (March 5-8), focuses on the call to discipleship; week 2 (March 9-15) on the teachings of Christ; week 3 (March 16-22) on Old Testament typologies; week 4 (March 23-29) on the finished work of Christ; week 5 (March 30-April 5) on the last words of Christ. Week 6 (April 6-12) takes us on a journey to the cross; week 7 (April 13-19) walks with Christ and his followers through Holy Week; and week 8, called Bright Week (April 20-27), finishes The Lent Project with the marvelous accounts of Christ’s post-resurrection appearances. Each daily devotional stands alone, but together all 54 days offer a rich and compelling meditation on this pivotal season of the Christian year. We encourage you to join us for the next eight weeks as we together remember the sacrifice of our great redeemer and friend.
For more information about observing Lent and Easter in the church today, we highly recommend the newly released book from Paraclete Press, God For Us: Rediscovering the Meaning of Lent and Easter, edited by Greg Pennoyer and Gregory Wolfe. Discover the “bright sadness” of Lent — “that it is not about becoming lost in our brokenness but about cleansing the palate so that we can taste life more fully.”
Special thanks to Todd Pickett, Biola's Dean of Spiritual Development, for his thoughtful video introduction to The Lent Project. We'd also like to thank artist Travis Chavez from Mission Community Church in Gilbert, Arizona who created the powerful LENT graphic at the end of Todd Pickett’s video and to Michael Liu for shooting and editing it.
May you have a blessed Lenten season.